Improvement in hanging stirbups



@eine tatreatrnt @frn PREN TISS SELBY, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA;

Letters Patent lVo. 67,357, dated July 30, 1867.

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TO ALL WI-IOM IT MAY`CONCERN:

i Be it known that I, PRENTISS SELBY, of San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco; and State of California, have invented certain new and useful improvements in the Manner of Hanging stirrup-Straps to Riding-Saddles; and I do hereby declarev the following to be a full, clear, and `exact description of' the same,

reference being had to the accompanying drawing, making a part of this` specification, andV which represents a. stirrup and strap with my invention applied to it. i

' I am aware that a metal spring has been used in connection with a stirrup-strap, but in such way that there was no defined limit ory extent to which such lspring would yield under various weights and its constant expansion, and therefore no means of properly adjnstingits length; and instead ofV supporting the rider, if suddenly thrown to one side, itgives way un er theieXtra weigl1tand affords him no reliable support. Such springs may be said to possess one of the advantages of my improvement, viz,. that of raising and holding up the stirrup to the foot.; but this advantage, if even it possessed it, was more than ovcrbalanced by the disagi- 'vantages above mentioned, which rendered such springs worse than useless.

-My invention consists in combining with an ordinary leather stirrup-strap, which is flexible and non elastic, a webbing or India-rubber strap or band, vulcanized or otherwise and which is both exible and highly elastic, but so that after the elastic band or web shall have been' stretched or expanded to a certain length or extent, then any further strain would come 4upon the ordinary leather stirrup-strap, and thus as certain and permanent an adjustment of length of stirrup-strap may be had as though no elasticity were given to it or used.

Toenablc others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe the same with rference tu the drawing.

A represents a. stirrup, which may be connected to the saddle, or made adjustable thereon through a leather strap, B, of any of the ordinary kinds, and by ahy ofthe usual well-known means. To this leather strap B there may be attached by sewing, or any other mode or mannerof uniting leather straps, an elastic strap, band, or web, C, which, in its normal or non-expanded condition, shall be shorter than the distance between the two points a a on the stirrup-strapB, to which it is united, so that the leather strap B may be made of the exact length desired by the rider, and sustain his weight in the ordinary way, but so that in straightening out the leather strap the elastic strap C shall be expanded, and when 'the former is 'straight it takes all the weight over and beyond the reactionary power of the rubber or other elastic hand or web.

The advantage of the elastic strap, band, or web is that it keeps the stirrup to the foot of the rider, preventing him from losing his stirrup, while the-leather ,strapl supports the rider in the usualpwell-known way. This elastic web may be made of coiled wire springs, but there is nothing better or cheaper than rubber, either covered or uncovered, andI therefore prefer it. .lud instead of fastening both ends of the elastic strap to the stirrup-strap, as shown, one end may be lfastened to the saddle and the other end to the stirrup-strap, or to the stirrup itself, and still perform the same duty. I have shown the mode of applying the elastic strap that I prefer, as simple and cheap and ell'ective. The other modes may be used if preferred.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim therein as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

Combining with the ordinary stirrup-straps of a saddle an elastic strap'that will constantly tend to keep the stirrup to the foot of the rider, whilst his weight is taken upon the ordina-ry leather strap, substantially in the manner and for the purpose described.

PREN TISS SELBY.

Witnesses:

ALANsoN H. PHELPS, J. W. BLACK. 

